Rousey shows her political punch, meets with Cuomo
Apparently, Ultimate Fighting Championship superstar Ronda Rousey has a few other skills besides inflicting her painful, tapout-inducing armbar move on a rival mixed martial arts fighter.
Rousey has political pull, too.
UFC President Dana White said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo first told UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta that he was too busy to meet Fertitta this week. But after telling Cuomo’s office that Rousey was also available to meet the governor, UFC got a call back two minutes later that Cuomo found time on his busy schedule to meet Rousey on Monday about the topic of legalizing mixed martial art fight events in the Empire State, White said.
“It’s the power of Ronda,” White said.
Rousey, 28, a 135-pound undefeated UFC women’s bantamweight champion and burgeoning action-movie star, was in New York this week to make TV appearances on “The View” and “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon,” White said. She’s also promoting the movie “Furious 7.”
So, UFC officials figured the timing was ideal to roll out the Las Vegas-based fight organization’s biggest name to lobby the state Assembly and Cuomo in New York’s state capital, Albany, about 150 miles north of New York City.
In an interview with the Review-Journal Monday, Rousey said amateur MMA fighting already is happening in New York state without any regulation — a circumstance that is dangerous for MMA athletes.
“My main message is that New York state is the most dangerous state for MMA because there is no athletic commission (regulating MMA). They compete for no money. It’s so dangerous that it needs to be regulated,” Rousey told the Review-Journal before meeting Cuomo.
New York is the only state in the U.S. that does not allow sanctioned professional MMA fight shows.
For years, former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver would not allow the MMA bill to reach the floor for a vote even though it would annually win approval in the New York Senate.
Some state lawmakers say MMA matches are barbaric. Opponents also argue UFC is anti-woman.
To counter that argument in the past, UFC has held news conferences in Albany with female MMA athletes who discussed the benefits of training and fighting.
Rousey also disputed the argument that UFC and MMA fights hurt women.
“It does nothing but empower women, and I’m a testament to that,” Rousey said.
White said with Silver no longer serving as Assembly speaker after his fraud and corruption arrest, “It never looked better” to legalize MMA fight shows in New York. “It would be shocking if it doesn’t happen.”
If the state approves MMA events this year, UFC is prepared to stage a fight at Madison Square Garden in New York later in the year.
“If it gets done, we will have a date at the Garden,” White said.
Rousey said it’s her dream to fight in Madison Square Garden.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it does happen,” Rousey said. “I would love to fight in Madison Square Garden during my career.”
Contact reporter Alan Snel at asnel@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5273. Find him on Twitter: @BicycleManSnel
